# New Vino Thread.... Pics & ???s



## thebayratt

O happy day, I have made a few plunges into the cigar lifestyle. I got a small 50ct humi, then a 100ct, found out what the "Devil Site" is, and today I got my new Vinotemp 28! I live in the south and it gets pretty hott here and can not afford to run the AC constantly. I bit the bullet and grabbed one using my employee discount @ Lowe's.

I know you have all read and seen the Vino threads, but I just thought I'd post some pics of mine and ask some questions before I do anything stupid and waste $280 on the Vino and countless $$ on the cigars. I don't mind spending the time to do it right. Money is somewhat an issue so any cost-cutters you could pass on I'd greatly appreciative of them. But I don't want to short myself on a quality job.









Straight out of the box. I opened it up for the hours I was at work. Got home, pulled the metal shelves out, and placed it into the spot I wanted to put it in to make sure it'd fit. I plan to let it air out a few (more) days to get the "smell" out. If still noticable, then I will clean with mild soap or baking soda.









I deffinatly plan to run a fan to help the humidity consistency. So I had some never used (14 or 16ga) speaker wire that I got to fish through the drain at the bottom. Ran plenty inside to connect the computer fan and plenty outside to connect to AC/DC connvertor & timer.
Question #1: Do I need to seal the drain? Or should I leave it alone? If so, what type of sealant? Pros/Cons?? 

The wire fits pretty snugly and I plan on using a pound or two of 65% beads; so I may just go without sealing unless I get bad reviews on this.









Question #2: Whats the best/easiest/ most practical way to catch the moisture that would usually run to the drain?
I see a "ramp" and tupperware container on most pics, but whats the "ramp" made of?

Question #3: Is it better to recycle the collected moisture back into the beads or just to collect/throw away?

More pics and posts to come as progress comes and reponses read. 
*~Thanks *upfront for all your help~


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## hangnail

subscribing to this one, this is a route I am thinking about doing


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## thebayratt

I plan on being very descriptive in anything I do on this project and post as many pics as I can. So anybody else heading down this route will have a good basis pics. Deffinately NOT knocking the http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/145674-vinotemp-101-a.html thread by no means. I have gotten alot of great info from those pages and encourage everyone even thinking of a Vinotemp Humi to check it out.


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## edogg

Definitely want to see more


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## audio1der

Looks like you're eright on track!
#1) I would plug the drain with some latex (not silicone) as it has no odor.
#2) If you have moisture accumulating in your humi, you're doing something wrong. there should be no moisture to catch. The only "moisture" in the humi is the water vapor in the air.
#3) Non-issue (see #2 above)

If you use a ditial timer/ac voltage regulator together to power your fan(s), you can vary the fan speed by adjusting the input voltage to it, as well as how often and for how long the fan will cycle on for. Good luck! Feel free to pm me with any questions. I've been super happy with my fridges for 3+ years now with this setup.


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## bartolomeo

Just bought a Vino today online and will pay close attention to this thread 

Bart


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## Strick

IMO you don't need an extra fan. The fan in the unit will circulate the air just fine since the fan itself runs the majority of the time even when the unit is not in cooling mode.
A piece of black electrical tape will cover the hole just fine.
Put a bag of beads over the hole and let it go. If any moisture does drip down to the beads it will be absorbed. I have never had to change or dry the beads and it has been over a year since I set it up.
This is how I have my 28 set up and the humidity top to bottom stays at 66-67 RH. I used the metal shelves with boxes until I got my custom drawers and shelf for the bottom to stack some boxes.


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## thebayratt

Thanks for the info! I am going to buy some spanish cedar from a local furniture company or woodcraft store. They are both about 30mins away so no biggy.Then, me and a co-worker are going to make a few shelves. I am going to try and get a few double drawers from Chasden. The shelves don't seem too had to fab up and my friend has numerous wood working tools, skills, and machines. I may or may-not run the fan yet, some use an extra, some don't. If I do, I deffinatley plan to run a timer. I am going to get a few pounds of 65% beads and maybe fab up a catch built into the tray at the bottomjust in case there is any moisture to catch.

Pics will be posted when progress is made.

Currently still making sure to clear the air (pastic smell) in it. Would wash it out but an old friend invited me over for a few smokes that he "aquired at the IPCPR (i think thats what it was) this past weekend. So I can't pass that offer up by no means!


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## WaxingMoon

I drafted up something like this for the V12. Maybe a couple of these would slip right in there..... Or, you can just apply the same principle. This one is a drawing.... but it measures 11" across the front and 9-1/2" across the back - 11" deep and 7-1/4" high. Drawers work out to be 1-5/8".

Have fun! Can't wait to see what ya come up with!


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## thebayratt

Here is where I am at so far........ Waiting on payday to get wood for shelves. That and the Devil's site keeps hittin me up for money. So I put both my humis inside the Vino, once the plastic "smell" left it after being set open for several days. I did this just to get thier (Cigars) temps down (the whole reason I got the Vinto). I got the temp set at the max temp and it says "67" on the door and my hygrometer inside the Humis reads 69-70 with humidity stable at 65-68. After I buy the lumber, I plan to purchase 2lbs of 65%beads and keep on posting up progress.


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## zeavran1

This is really cool. About how cigars can you pack into this thing? Do they come in different sizes?


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## ca21455

Thanks for sharing your project with us. Very interesting so far!


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## thebayratt

zeavran1 said:


> This is really cool. About how cigars can you pack into this thing? Do they come in different sizes?


Search on Puff for VINOTEMP. This should bring up a number of posts with pics of full Vinos... ask the member who posted the pic how many they have in it. It will take me a LONG time to ever fill mine up.... but thats half the fun!

Here is a few prior threads, there are many more also.
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...leted-stocked-up-vinotemp.html?highlight=vino
http://http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/145674-vinotemp-101-a.html
http://http://www.cigarforums.net/f...62366-vinotemp-setup-new-shelves-trays-5.html


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## thebayratt

Here is a question. I plan on running a computer fan to disperse the humidity evenly throughout. I have my eye on Newegg.com - MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan - Case Fans Inexxpensive and seems reliable from the reviews. And plan on using a AC to 12V 3/4pin Molex adapter or possibly a "universal adapter modified with the Molex plug.

The fan shows the Molex connector (red &black wires) and another smaller connector with a yellow wire. 
Do I need the smaller connector/yellow wire? Or can I cut it off the fan and let it be? What is it for (during "usual" computer operations)?


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## htran1023

thebayratt said:


> The fan shows the Molex connector (red &black wires) and another smaller connector with a yellow wire.
> Do I need the smaller connector/yellow wire? Or can I cut it off the fan and let it be? What is it for (during "usual" computer operations)?


Typically, the third wire on a 3pin connector sends the RPM signal to the motherboard. This allows for software monitoring and speed adjustments.


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## thebayratt

Got a few supplies worked up.
* A Plastic tray to either catch moisture heading to drain or to hold Beads. Grabbed it @ Walmart $1.50 +/-

* A Bottle of TITEBOND 2 Wood glue. Its weatherproof and FDA safe for indirect contact with food. Which basically means not TOO harmful if swallowed. $3

* Half Pint of Cabot Gloss & Semi Gloss Polyurethane "Clear Coat". They were on clearance from $9 down to 54cents (gloss) and 75 cents (semigloss). Even if I don't use them in this project, I will somewheres else.

* 1x4x4 Red Oak board. This will be for the tray facings. $6 +/-

* 3/16" Oak Dowell Rod. For pegging anything a bisquit won't handle.

* 1/2"X4'X8' AC Plywood. This is cabinet grade plywood with a beautiful one side and a B-grade other side. The B-grade side will go inside the trays and be covered up with Spanish Cedar strips. Retail $25, I got for $4. (Don't ask)










Hoping to get Spanish cedar this Friday or next Friday and possibly a fan and or timer if my budget lets me.


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## bartolomeo

Thanks for the update

Bart


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## thebayratt

Went to the Woodcraft store over in Mobile, AL which is about 30 mins away for me to get my 3/8" spanish cedar. Well, that was my plan. Needless to say, they don't stock ANY Spanish Cedar that it has to be ordered online.... That and the sales ASSociates were not very helpful; except for one guy who tried to help, but wasn't too sure of himself it seamed, but atleast he tried. So now I have to order it online and pay who knows how much for shipping. 
I was going to get my 3/8" today and then once the trays where assembled, go back and get some 3/16" for the lining of the trays. Well, now I am going to have to save up and buy all at once to save on the shipping costs.....

Be warned: If you plan to go to your local Woodcraft Store for Spanish Cedar CALL FIRST and make sure they have them instock. To save yourself the aggrevation and gas all to come up empty handed like I did.

But I did get to go to the local B&M and Grabbed a CAIN Torpedo and a Punch Baron. My girl got me a nice retractable punch too. Enjoyed the Punch in the friday rush hour traffic, pretty decent.


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## thebayratt

Ordered a few stainless steel drawer pulls a week ago. These are the full stainless style and not polished pewter. That way they should match the front of the Vino quite nicely. My cost was about $3.50ea. That was with my employee discount.










They are a little "deep" but I can make up for it with the tray depth.


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## thebayratt

Ok Mrs Claus was very good to me for Christmas. She got me a pound of Heartfelt 65% Beads and is going to order me the SC when I get her the list of the ones I need next week.

12-26-9
I got the beads and was going to go the slow and steady way of charging them up. I got a small Glad container and a shotglass full of distilled water. Put the shotglass in the container and pour the beads into the container and let the beads absorb how much they need til 60-70% of them are clear. 








The glad container I had was going to be too small and the shotglass was a little too tall for the container, so I got an old Coolwhip container and used it. 









Set the shotglass in then the beads. Carefully poured the beads into the container making sure not to spill any beads into the shotglass. Closed the lid to possibly speed up the process. I got 2 of the 33cent knee high stocking eggs from Walmart to put some beads in towards the top of the Vino to make sure the RH was distributed fairly evenly. Probly only needed one "egg" but owell.Humidity is not a problem where I live so I may charge them to somewhere around 60% clear. That way if too much humidity gets into the Vino they will absorb the extra. I plan to use a fan after the shelves/tray are built.







.

I plan on going to Walmart or a dollar store and find a shallow container to put the beads in after they are charged up. Maybe something along the lines of a butter dish lid. The Heartfelt website says they work better in a container no deeper than 1-1.5" The more surface area they get, the better they work.


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## thebayratt

Just had a brainstorm...
I took the empty knee-hi "egg" and drilled 5- 1/8" holes in the lid. Then when the beads are charged, I will put a few in the egg, close the lid and use it in my "infused" humi. I don't smoke that many anymore but alot of my friends like them so I keep a handful around. This is a heck of alot better than the foam humidifier that it came with.


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## thebayratt

12-27-9
The previous meathod of charging the beads wasn't going as quickly as I had wanted it to. So I grabbed a spray bottle from walmart like alot of you have suggested. Filled it with Distilled Water and put the beads into a Gladware container. Its about 6" square and about 2" deep. I filled it probly 1/2 full with the beads. Put the excess into a pair of knee-hi stockings, tied a knot in the top, and cut off the extra. I sprayed the beads to about 60% were clear. And you can _deffinately _tell the difference between clear and white!! 








My humi has about 73-73% rh right now and chose to let the beads absorb the extra, thats why I didn't go to a 70% full. Then let the beads do thier magic and level off at 65%. Then sprayed the knee-hi somewhat and put it on the top shelf of the Vino and the container on the bottom shelf. 








Once I set the tray of beads in the humidity dropped from 74 to 72 and continues to drop.

Spanish Cedar is going to be ordered this week or next. Fan system is in the works now.


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## thebayratt

1-3-10

*Fan Assembly*
Since Oust fans are darn near impossible to find cheap. I got an OFF Bug Repelant Fan. It ran off of 2AA batteries. It puts out a little bit of air. Good enough til I get a computer fan. I took the back & clip off.

















I removed the micro switch that turned the fan on and off when the "bug disc" was inserted. I used a soldering iron and heated up the wires til they came off the circuit board. 









I drilled a small hole through the casing of the fan to connect them later on.
Now, it is basically a fan in a small housing with postitive and negative wires. I stripped off the insulation just a bit to solder on the wires from the power source.









I had an old Cordless Razor charger laying around the house that puts off 1.6V the fan runs off of 3V so it will run half as fast. When I get computer fan(s) I have one that puts out about 6V so I may use it or buy a adjustable one.









Now I cut the end off of the charger/ AC Converter.The wire with the white stripe is the negative and the solid black is the positive.









I stripped back the insulation from the AC adapter and the wires I had previously ran through the drain of the Vino. I got an 8pk of various diameter 4" length heatshrink tubing from Lowe's for $1.98. Cut with scissors and slide the heat-shrink tubing over one wire. You don't need much, just enough to cover the joint and a little more for the sides. Solder the joints together for a good connection.









A soldering gun from Radio Shack with a small starter kit is only $10. I had one but lost it, so I grabbed another one. *Soldering irons are hot and can burn you and anything else the business end comes in contact with!*

I found another good use for a Jet Lite....... Heat source! If you don't have a heatgun a butane lighter will work just as good. Slide the tubing over the seal, and heat with the lighter. You don't want to get too close to the tubing or it will burn/melt. It only takes a second to seal the deal. I went from one in to the other to avoid any wrinkles or creases on the tubing.









Now the wires in the Vino (ran through the drain) are to be stripped. Slide the heatshrink tubing to one set of wires and solder the wires together (the fan & the power supply wires ran through the VIno drain). Heat the heatshrink tubing with my Jet-lite and that is done.









I bought a digital timer that as 20 on/off times for $9 at Lowe's. You can program it down to on for only one minute or for however long you want. Even by the days/weekends which is pointless for what I am using it for. The timer is an Intermatic DT300









I set the timer for on 5-7 minutes every hour on the hour. A few times, later on in the hour for a little longer to make up for the only 20 on/off slots. Plugged in the timer and pluged in the AC Adapter and it worked like a charm.









Here it is in action









This comming up payday I will be ordering my Spanish Cedar for the trays and shelves. Post pics of that build too. Then I will get a comuter fan and an different AC adapter to run the fan.


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## thebayratt

*1-15-2010*
*
New Fans*

I got two 80mm fans from Newegg.com Newegg.com - MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan - Case Fans for $1.49 each.









I cut the connectors off the end of the wires and stripped off the insulation. The yellow wire is not used. When connected to your computer, it tells the fan controller how fast the fan is spinning. I just cut it back father off into the braided jacket that covers the wires.









I had a scrap piece of 1x4 and cut it to about 14" long. I sanded it on all sides and put a rounded edge on it for looks. I then put two coats of stain on it. Stain,wait 15 mins, wipe off excess, stain, wait 15 mins, and finally wipe off excess and let dry. 
Later on I will use a piece of Red Cedar so it will match the drawer fronts. Basically this is a temporary piece to see how it works and what bugs need to be worked out.









I set the fans where I wanted them on the board and made small pilot holes for the machine screws I got to go through to attach the fans to the board with. Then I took a #8 countersink bit and made some counter sink holes so the heads of the screws will not stick out on the bottom of the board.









I got 8- #8x3" Round head machine screws, nuts, and 1" nylon spacers. Put the screws through the board with the head on the bottom of the board in the countersink.









Then turned the board over, put on the 8 spacers, sat the fans onto the screws, put the nuts onto the screws, and tightened them down. The spacers allow for air movement.









I ran the wire from one fan to the next fan and Cut them off at the same length. I soldered the red wired together and the black wires together. I then had some small metal hammer in stapples and put two down over the wires on the board to stop them from moving around too much.









I removed my old fan from the Vino, soldered the wires to the new fans, and heat shrinked the joint. Helpful hints: make sure to test your connections before you heatshrink them and to put the heatshrink tubing on _before _you solder the connection. Then I got a new AC to DC variable transformer ( 3-12Volts). Cut the wires from it and soldered them to the wires ran through the Vino drain, and heat shrinked the joint.









The timer is set to come one once an hour for about 5-7 mins each hour.









Here is the _temporary _set-up till I change the wood to a piece of stained Red Cedar.
I have to secure the wires somewhat better, one set rose up and stopped a fan. 
I chose to run one in the front and one in the back to push the humidity towards the middle and top layers.


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## thebayratt

Any questions, comments, advice, etc... would be greatly appreciated.


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## Nitrosportman

nice i like that digital timer where'd you get that particular one


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## fiddlegrin

thebayratt said:


> Any questions, comments, advice, etc... would be greatly appreciated.


Howdy Shawn,
Looks like it's coming along nicely and your having fun :thumb: :clap2:

Just found your thread for the first time, so my input may be too late...

But, you might want to consider not using plywood. It off gasses various stuff for a long time cause of all the glue and chemicals. Plus it doesn't handle moisture well at all. I believe the layers will tend to swell and seperate.

Using solid Sp. cedar costs a fair amount but whadya gonna do..... :dunno:

Sp cedar shiplap can save you some money and is versitile. We can use it to make the drawers n shelves _and_ line surfaces...

Best wishes, _Dafiddla _

_._


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## JGD

Great thread Shawn! I just got my wine cooler yesterday and I put in an order for some shelves with Ed (WaxingMoon). Your thread is definitely going to help me out a bit when it comes to the other aspects of putting my cooler together. So I'll be watching this closely.


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## thebayratt

Nitrosportman said:


> nice i like that digital timer where'd you get that particular one


I got it at Lowe's for about $10. A cheap non-digital was $7 so the extra $3 gave me alot more time options and such. I thought it was going to be hard to program but it was a sinch after I read the directions.
Intermatic DT300 is the name/model.


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## thebayratt

fiddlegrin said:


> But, you might want to consider not using plywood. It off gasses various stuff for a long time cause of all the glue and chemicals. Plus it doesn't handle moisture well at all. I believe the layers will tend to swell and seperate.
> 
> Using solid Sp. cedar costs a fair amount but whadya gonna do..... :dunno:
> 
> Sp cedar shiplap can save you some money and is versitile. We can use it to make the drawers n shelves _and_ line surfaces...
> 
> Best wishes, _Dafiddla _
> _._


I had thought of that too and may go ahead and use SC on the sides or maybe Poplar like Chasden uses. I am going with a full SC bases and SC veneer on the sides though if I don't get SC for the sides.


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## thebayratt

Well, decided today, NOT to build my own drawers/trays...... I got too much going on and not enough time and or patience for it. Im ordeing my Chasidor shelves/trays very soon...


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## thebayratt

I had water running down the back wall and starting to collect on the floor of the Vino. So I got off my butt and made a water catch to recycle the water back into the bead tray. 
I got some flexable cutting mats from WalMart and cut a 3" by 5" "ramp" for the water to drip onto the beads.










Now, _*whats the best way to seal the drain?*_ I have a pair of wires running through it now, and they aren't sealing it enough. I have heard some say plumbers putty and some say a special non-smell silicone clear caulk. _Whats the best solution??_


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## Aficionado82

Great thread! This will come in very handy once I decide to take the vinotemp plunge


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## UGA07

Great thred! I am going to definitely use some of this info for my coolerdor.


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## thebayratt

I ditched the water catch into the beads. It was too much for the beads and didn't want to crack them. I got another small tuperware dish to catch the condenstion in. I empty it about once a month.


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## Athion

Correct me if im wrong, but wouldn't a lot of condensation mean you need to seal up the drain? 

Otherwise (I would think) there would only be the moisture you put in, and any excess would be in the beads already, and not able to form as condensate...


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## thebayratt

Yeh, I have been meaning to seal the drain. But waiting for when I make the transisition from my humidor to trays in the Vino. Then I won't have to pull everything out twice, just once.


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## obleedo

I cannot thank you enough for this thread, been thinking about going winedor and finally decided i am going to do so. Going to see if black friday brings me any deals that beat deals on ebay or craigslist. I cannot wait!


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## thebayratt

Well, after 154 days of waiting on stained front Chasidor drawers. I finnaly get them in!!

I got three double drawers, one single, and a shelf for the boxes. I got a washcloth and put some distilled water on it, wrung it out so I didn't over saturate the Spanish Cedar. Then I wiped the insides down completely and then repeated it again.

I pulled out the humidor I was using for my temporary storage and all the bags I had filled up with cigars. I set the dividers that came with them and went to organizing.

Here is what I came up with.

*Bottom drawer*
Tats, Viajes, Lanceros, and a few others.

*Second Drawer*
Robustos, Toros, few Belicosos etc..

*Third Drawer*
More Robustos, Toros a few Churchills etc...

*Top Drawer*
CCs & LE Cigars.

*Total set up*
I got a few boxes on top. One box is a Robusto box with more mixed Robustos.
The bottom holds the fans, 2 Bundles of cigars, Knee high full of beads (only temp to get RH up) and a tray of KL.

The double trays, I found you can get about three deep with a Robusto size. The Single tray you can get a few cigars doubled up; but the must be below a 46rg to do so.


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## Bleedingme

Chasidor trays are nice. Where did you purchase those from?


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## thebayratt

Bleedingme said:


> Chasidor trays are nice. Where did you purchase those from?


Chasidor, Online Store

He is not making the stained front drawers anymore though..


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## Gorden Gecko

Cool set up !!!

I never run my actual unit in the winter.. Temp stays between 65-70'F

Bottom shelf keeps things moving


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## BDog

Looks great Shawn! 154 Days great -well maybe.:noidea: It gives your wineador a much more elegant and organized look!

I was considering the Cocobolo exotic shelves for mine, but after I read many threads about the wait time with Chasiden I reconsidered.

Noah built an arc in less time and gathered 2 of everything.


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## bigslowrock

glad you finally got your stuff.


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## deep

Great set up Shawn!! Everything looks really nice. Glad your trays made it!!


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## bMay

Glad I came across this thread, about to take the plunge..


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## NoShhhSherlock

Very nice Shawn, I will be following this one to see how it turns out!


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## Molotov

WaxingMoon said:


> I drafted up something like this for the V12. Maybe a couple of these would slip right in there..... Or, you can just apply the same principle. This one is a drawing.... but it measures 11" across the front and 9-1/2" across the back - 11" deep and 7-1/4" high. Drawers work out to be 1-5/8".
> 
> Have fun! Can't wait to see what ya come up with!


do you have any of these units available for sale? website link perhaps?


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## MrRogers

Is anyone getting these units for a reasonable price anymore? Looks like they are going for around 350$ these days. At that price there seem to be some larger units available. 

MrR


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## flyinillini75

Hard to find these units at a reasonable price. I purchased my vino temp 28 bottle from target 5 yrs ago for $115. I have filled it up with almost 1000 Cuban cigars and now I am in the market for another one. Hate spending $280 plus on one when I purchased the other one so reasonably.


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## thebayratt

Well, it lasted about 4years. Im not sure what happened, but its not cooling any more. I think my gf pilled up too much "junk" beside the unit and it didn't get enough air. Now I go about finding another one with the same deminsions or start over.... At least I wont need the cooling effects of it this winter.


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## bogiestogie

Love his thread gonna make my build thread soon.


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## baust55

I bought a smaller vinotemp I think its a 18 bottle anyone convert one of theses ? any ideas ? 
does anywome make shelf or trays for theses ?


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## BadBeerBreath

@baust55 - I'm sure Forrest (wineadors.com) would make them if you sent him the measurements. If he doesn't have them already that is.


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